In what can be termed as a new low in Indian cricket administrative setup Former Indian captain and one of the most respected cricketers in the circuit, Rahul Dravid on Thursday, was deposed before BCCI ethics officer, Justice (Retired) D.K. Jain, in Mumbai to explain the conflict of interest allegations leveled against him. When the news broke out that the “Wall” of Indian cricket team was being dragged like this in the administrative hassle of the BCCI, Cricket fans went berserk on social media. The muddle that the BCCI, Supreme Court and Committee of Administrators (CoA) have created has made things messy all around. Renowned Sports quizzer Joy Bhattacharjya took to twitter to express his displeasure over the whole situation.
Of all people in Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid has to depose before an ethics committee. The most honest straightforward man I know in the game.
Really, this is an object lesson in terrible prioritisation.https://t.co/o8aRhRbS3o— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) September 25, 2019
The complaint against Rahul Dravid was lodged by Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) life member Sanjeev Gupta, alleging that there is conflict in interest in Dravid’s role as NCA head and being an India Cements employee. According to BCCI’s constitution, no individual can hold more than one post at the same time. Besides being the NCA director, Rahul Dravid is also the vice-president at the India Cements group, which owns the IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings. The elegant cricketer who amassed over 14000 test runs and brought laurels to the country countless times had already given a reply and defended himself saying he has taken leave of absence from employers India Cements and that he has nothing to do with the Chennai Super Kings. Justice Jain is expected to give his verdict in a day or two
One of the most honest, straightforward and the humblest men on and off the field, Rahul Dravid has been the driving force behind the Under-19 and India A team’s resurgence in the last few years. He has been silently grooming the next generation of Indian cricketers, all of it away from the limelight. If there is one cricketer who has given so much to the sport after leaving it, it has to be Rahul Dravid. Another seasoned cricketer, the prince of Kolkata, Sourav Ganguly has said that the BCCI in rules should be “practical” and that there should be clarity on the whole “conflict of interest” issue. The former India captain was also summoned a notice by Justice D. K. Jain, (who is also overseeing Dravid’s case) after receiving complaints of conflict of interest for his roles as a commentator, advisor to the Delhi Capitals Indian Premier League franchise and chief of the Cricket Association of Bengal. “You don’t decide whether you commentate or whether you coach or you are part of a franchise, because of the skill you get picked by people, and I don’t think it can be a conflict. It has to be bit more precise, otherwise everything is going to be a conflict,” explained Mr. Ganguly, who seemed to be looking for clarification from BCCI.
I am in no way claiming that. Conflict of interest is rife in Indian sport. But perhaps Rahul Dravid is not the best example.
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) September 26, 2019
It would be a terrible loss for Indian cricket if one day Rahul Dravid hung up his boots, fed up of the continuous, nasty antics of BCCI and CoA headed by former CAG Vinod Rai, the game of cricket would be in for irreparable damage. Imagine the richest cricket board of the world, treating legends of the game like this. The sorry state of affairs should be sorted by BCCI soon otherwise the biggest stakeholders of game, its “fans” would be utterly disappointed. Nobody likes “The Wall” walking off the pitch.